An iOS7 Overview: What Others Are Saying

Although it’s only been seven days since iOS 7 was first introduced, many industry observers–from the tech savvy professionals to the casual consumers– are still apparently getting fired up over its potential significance.

For the iPhone enthusiasts, the response towards the changes and re-designs appear to be mostly positive, with some going as far as to hail the new platform as a revolutionary work in progress that will eventually turn the tide for Apple. Such enthusiasm, while overwhelming, is not entirely unjustified. Other than managing to replace the distracting “skeumorphic” elements with a cleaner, much more elegant look, the team behind iOS 7–led by Senior Vice President of design, Jony Ive– essentially helped turn Apple’s platform into a user centric medium, one that is both sophisticated in terms of its functionality and practical in terms the increased convenience for users. The iOS 7′s multi-tasking capability, accessible “control settings” (which can now be summoned easily through a simple swipe gesture), automatic photo organization, and intuitive “airdrop” feature are just a few of the many exciting additions to look forward to.

What the designers of iOS did that is also quite noteworthy, above all else, is upgrading user security. Unlike before, iPhone users now have the option of blocking calls from people who are deemed dangerous and suspicious. Moreover, should an iPhone be physically stolen, a user will be able to implement the “kill switch,” a function which effectively disables the lost device and renders it completely useless to the thief.

As stated by the recent report from iDownload blog, iOS 7 will come with approximately 24 more unique features that were not explicitly mentioned by the keynote speakers in WWDC 2013. Broadly speaking, these include dictionary/translator functions, wireless and connection updates (ie. Wifi Spot 2.0), and advanced gesture controls. Gigaom has compiled a notable list of the “subtle” iOS 7 features, which can be seen in one of its recently posted articles. To get a more accurate idea of what iOS 7 looks like, or to get a sense of what the platform is generally capable of doing, check out this video here (originally posted by 9to5mac).

The case against iOS 7

At present, the aspects of iOS 7 where most of the criticism appear to be directed at are its lack of originality, inconsistent performance, and the absence of anything that can truly be considered “groundbreaking”. Some of the most vocal criticisms appear to come from the non-Apple users, many of whom are quick to point to the iOS 7 elements that are heavily inspired by Google’s Android system and Microsoft’s Windows 8. A number of complaints have also been aimed towards the new platform’s weak battery life, unexpected app quits, and software instability.